Modeling the Effect of Occupants’ Behavior on Household Carbon Emissions

Abstract

Occupant behavior has proven significant impact on building performance. The research on carbon emissions has therefore recommended the integration of the technical and behavioral disciplines in order to accurately predict buildings’ carbon emissions. Although various models have been developed that consider the actions of occupants based on quantitative data, few efforts link the impact of occupant behavior to selected energy strategies while also considering the economic, technological, and environmental impacts. This research developed a dynamic model to simulate the interaction of occupant behavior with various energy-efficiency scenarios to reduce carbon emissions. The model will help test the effectiveness of certain energy-efficiency scenarios before implementation. This paper illustrates the structure and the application of the proposed model. The model results show that behavioral change can contribute enormously to carbon emissions reduction even without the installation of more-energy-efficient improvements.